Have you thought about using the skills of a personal trainer but felt too scared to try? Many people have misconceptions about personal trainers so here are a few tips from trainers themselves to help you get the most from your exercise routine – whether or not you decide to use their services.
Trainers don’t expect perfection on day one
Trainers acknowledge that people are nervous when they first start, and that’s okay. You’ve come to them for help and they know that the gym is an intimidating place for people who haven’t played sport or been active for a while. They don’t expect you to wow them in your first week.
Find your motivation
While many people have weight loss or aesthetic goals, that doesn’t have to be the number one reason for training. Exercise can help with other issues such as self-confidence, or simply just make you feel better. Before starting training, find your reason. When you have a reasons ‘why’, the ‘how you do it’ becomes much easier.
Training doesn’t have to be hard work
Between two and four sessions a week is enough, especially if you want to avoid injury. Overtraining on one exercise, such as the treadmill, is more likely to lead to injury. Use short, intense workouts. Spending hours on the treadmill at a steady pace has more impact on your joints and raises cortisol levels, which can lead to you holding onto belly fat.
Your trainer won’t push you too hard either
Trainers want you to achieve your goals, but not at the cost of hurting yourself, so don’t worry about being thrown in at the deep end. Most trainers want you to enjoy your time exercising. They don’t want to be seen as drill sergeants. Quite the opposite, in fact – they want you to gain confidence through exercise.
A little goes a long way
A lot of people join a gym and believe they’ll be happy once they’re reached their weight target, but that can mean that they’re setting themselves up to be miserable until they lose that weight. Celebrate little wins and be grateful for progress. That way you’ll stay focussed. Try not to overestimate what you can do in a month. Just a 1% improvement every time you come to the gym can make a huge difference over time.
Be honest with your trainer
Trainers say they know when someone lies about their diet. If you’ve had four pints of beer, a pizza and a tub of ice cream after a training session, the best policy is to be honest. You won’t be judged. Instead your trainer will do what they can to get you back on track.
Trainers are human too
While personal trainers love exercise more than most, there will be days they don’t want to be in the gym either. It can help to remember that!
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